Today marks the 161st anniversary of the arrival in South Africa of a ship called the Truro. She had set sail from Madras, India months earlier, and onboard were 342 Indian nationals who had signed on as indentured labourers to work on the sugarcane plantations of Natal.  Recruited by the South African government, they were the first of several tranches of workers who would come to this country in the hope of building a better life for themselves and their families – but who would find that their living and working conditions were a far cry from the vision that had been sold to them in India.
As we mark this anniversary it is my great pleasure to welcome to the show someone who has spent the last few years of her life immersed in researching this story, bringing it to life in her gorgeous debut novel called Children of Sugarcane. 

She is my former colleague and highly respected media professional, Joanne Joseph.